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The Salt Lake County Council last week voted 5-4 to defund $2 million child care programs.

Parents, including Mackenzie Miller, petitioned the council on Tuesday to keep four centers open past Dec. 31.

The council could revisit the issue; families say they face higher child care costs and financial strain.

SALT LAKE CITY — Mackenzie Miller was among dozens of parents and constituents who filed into the Salt Lake County government building on Tuesday in hopes of persuading the County Council not to defund child care services.

Miller, a recently divorced father, said he's been taking his 3-year-old daughter to the Magna Recreation Center, where she is cared for while he works. His older daughter was also previously enrolled in the program.

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